Jordan, Kidd / Parker, William / Drake, Hamid – “Palm of Soul ” – [Aum Fidelity]

Semper Aum Fidelity! Another stellar release, of course
locking in the mind-bind of William Parker and Hamid
Drake already guarantees an interesting trip. But Kidd
Jordan blows past the speed limit of age and clocks in
with some serious smoke. Not that he’s looking to
blister-rip the free-jazz launch pad, more that he’s
got the mysterious wafting going on, like on “Forever”
man that summons detectives back from the dead for
those old unsolved cases. On “Living Peace” he’s got
his tenor wrapped around whatever Parker is bowing,
each teasing the other along. “Unity Call” rolls out
a frame drum carpet and then Drake let’s the thunder
speak through mantra moans. Parker, often without his
bass, though never baseless on this CD, has got that
rubber-band gnawa funk stoking on his guimbri. “So
Often” is almost the coda to its faded out predecessor.
“Resolution” again taps the Afro-soul via guimbri,
Jordan’s smooth fire keeps things warm, and then when
Drake enters with discombulating tabla, a dizzying
dance breaks out. “Last of the Chicken Wings” gets
peppered with spicy asian flavoring, cooled by gongs,
and the Kidd (at 70) still going strong careening off
all angles before an ethereal evaporation (read: long
quiet outro). I’ve got theories on the first 1-minute
track, but who cares… “Palm of Soul” is hands-down,
thumbs-up fantastic. -Thurston Hunger